Keep the pressure on to free Marissa Alexander!

On September 28, the NYC chapter of WORD (Women Organized to Resist and Defend), in conjunction with other organizations, organized a speak-out in Harlem on 125th Street and Lenox focused on demanding freedom for Marissa Alexander. From the moment the event started, people immediately gravitated toward the WORD placards that read “Free Marissa Alexander Now” and “No to Racism and Sexism.” Many community members stopped to learn more about the case and the struggle for justice, even setting up their own chairs near the speaker to listen.

Community organizer Kerbie Joseph highlighted the systemic racism within the justice system, stating: “The same system that let the racist vigilante George Zimmerman walk for the murder of Trayvon Martin is the system that is giving Marissa Alexander 20 years in prison for firing a warning shot into the ceiling in order to defend herself and her children. How could that be justice?” WORD organizer Elizabeth Birriel talked about the need to keep building around Marissa Alexander’s case, stating that “if we keep organizing, we can win and Marissa Alexander will be free.”

Organizers handed out over 1,000 flyers with information about Marissa’s case and collected over 100 petition signatures from the community. People were eager to learn more about Marissa’s case and how they could help.